Shadow Lover (Siren Publishing Allure)

by Audrey Godwin

  "But you said it would die down."

  "It will, but until it does we might as well get as much out of this Mystery Man deal as possible. You have to remember, I write romance novels for a living. I have to feed 'em sex morning, noon, and night."

  He looked at her with surprise on his face.

  "Sex sells, Kirk. That's why this Mystery Man theme is so good. But when it's over, it's gone, and they'll want something else." She looked at him with a sly look. "And babe, they know they can get it from me."

  "You sound so damned cold, Chyna. Almost callous. What's gotten into you?"

  She sat down beside him. "I'm sorry, Kirk. I don't mean to be. It's just that I've been in this business a few years now, and I know the ropes. All I have to do is put myself in their place. If I were a reporter, I'd be looking for the headliners…the scoop…the sensation. Any sizzling topic that would get my readers' attention. I know how they think, and what I don't know, I can imagine. That's all."

  Kirk pulled her down on the bed, leaned over on top of her and asked suggestively. "All right, Ms. Marsh. If you're so good at imagining things, what am I thinking?"

  She pulled his perfect face down to hers, kissed his sensuous lips, then whispered something in his ear.

  He lifted his head, looked at her with mock amazement and whispered seductively, "Mmm, you are good!

  * * * *

  Downstairs Elaine was busy in the kitchen, and decided to make some sandwiches for lunch. She went to the refrigerator to get the lunchmeat, but it wasn't there. She looked around puzzled, muttering to herself. "I thought I got some lunchmeat at the market yesterday. Where did it all go?"

  Feeling funny about all the strange things that had been happening around the mansion, she slumped down at the table, putting her head in her hands. This mystery about Quinn's whereabouts kept nagging at her day in and day out, and now weeks had turned into months. Had he moved out? If he had, why hadn’t he told someone?

  He must be on a trip, she thought, since his clothes were all gone, but why wasn’t there a note to tell her why he had left so suddenly, and when he would be back?

  Quinn had a lot of faults, but he usually always kept her informed of his whereabouts. To her, that meant he was still around somewhere. When she talked to the police, they just blew a lot of hot air in her face, telling her about police procedure, regulations and foul play. It all boiled down to the fact that they weren't going to do anything because, as they said, Quinn was a grown man, and without evidence of foul play, their hands were tied. So, after all was said and done, the most she could do was list him as a missing person and have them keep an eye out. She glanced over at the phone thinking maybe she would call again to see if they had heard anything.

  What good would it do? she finally asked herself. She could do without more hot air, and lame excuses.

  Opening the refrigerator again, she reached in to get some juice, but it wasn't there.

  She grabbed for the bread, but it was gone.

  She put her hand on her forehead. "I must be losing my mind. Where the hell is all the food?"

  Suddenly her head whirled around when she heard a strange sound. She rushed over to a window, looked toward Cat's Paw, and saw a candle glowing in the old widow's window. "Funny," she muttered to herself, "I thought the widow had moved out a long time ago." She looked up toward the cloudy sky. "Just the wind, I guess, but, it sounded like the lonely howl of some poor, tortured soul."

  * * * *

  Monarch Studios were buzzing. They’d sent a crew of photographers to Mystic Islands to take pictures of the little town from top to bottom. Everything from The High Coast Café, to the winding road and twisted trees. Even the old man that lived in the secluded little shack with human bones scattered around it was found dead, but since no one ever went up there his death was never discovered. It seemed ironic that now his bones lay undisturbed among all the others.

  The little town was becoming famous.

  The men in front of Cheney’s Market, and Cheney’s Market itself were all going to be characters in Chyna Marsh’s next novel. The townspeople gathered in groups, watching the Hollywood types do their work. They watched as they took day shots, night shots, shots from every angle, and some even took shots of the people themselves to grasp the rural flavor.

  The hardest part was taking shots of the mansion’s basement, the dark tunnel of concrete stairs, Cat’s Paw, and even the lighthouse. The wind growled, the surf broke, and cameras shook, but finally the pictures were done.

  When the crew got back to the studio, sets were erected overnight, duplicating the little town right down to the townspeople, and the kind of clothing they wore. Every tiny detail of the little town’s nautical décor was copied. Dialect coaches came in to rehearse their actors to act and talk like the local townspeople, and makeup created the look they needed.

  While the picture was in the making, they ran into a snag, and asked Chyna to come on as Technical Advisor. Only she could give the film the authenticity it needed. She struggled with this for a while before she broke the news to Kirk. This meant she would have to be away from him for months if he didn’t agree to go out to Hollywood with her. She thought of refusing, but knew if she didn’t go, the film would suffer. It was the story of Kirk’s life. It deserved the best she could give it.

  It had to be perfect.

  “I’ve had enough of those people, Chyna. They’ve invaded my world, exploited my life—”

  Chyna put her hands up over his mouth. “Kirk, it’s their job, and the better they do that job, the better the film will be.”

  “I’m not ready. I can’t go into—”

  “It’s okay, I understand. I’ll just divide my time between here and there.”

  “That’s a hell of a lot of traveling. You sure you’re up to it?”

  She put her arms around him, and kissed his lips lightly. “I know I’ve said it before, but I promise that it won’t always be like this. Pretty soon no one will know who we are. Then I’ll have to worry about you getting bored.”

  He smiled down at her. “You keep saying that, but I have a feeling life with you will be anything but boring.”

  Chyna pursed her lips. “You know, you’re a very trusting man. I mean, what with sending me out to Hollywood alone—” She hesitated, cutting her eyes over at him. “—you know, where all those Hollywood hunks are?”

  He gave her a reproving look, knowing she was trying to make him jealous.

  “It’s about time to start a new book. I wonder—”

  He grabbed her and threw her on the bed. “From now on your books are going to be about imaginary men. No going off into the wild to try and find Bigfoot, okay? And as far as those Hollywood hunks go, I’m pretty famous right now. I could find a few starlets—”

  She stopped his words with a delicate finger, then her eyes fused with his. “Don’t you dare.”

  “How’re you gonna stop me?” Kirk said, grinning.

  Chyna began slowly unbuttoning his shirt. “Like this,” she whispered, then began sensuously licking and kissing his chest.

  Chyna made hot, passionate love to Kirk, knowing she had another bomb to drop before all this was over. The studio had also told her that if the movie was the blockbuster they thought it would be, their publicity department was toying with the idea of asking her and Kirk to appear at the premiere.

  Oh, well, she thought, melting in Kirk’s arms. One problem at a time.

  Chapter 25

  Hollywood, California

  The night of the premiere had arrived. Chyna had her long hair pulled up, looking very sophisticated with the highlights curling in beautiful accents against the darker blonde of her hair. She was absolutely beautiful in a white sequined dress, and Kirk was more handsome than she had ever thought possible. When she looked at him, she couldn't have been more proud. His dark hair was long and curly with the tousled top falling down along his forehead giving him a roguish look. The newest thing that had been added was
just the shadow of a mustache above his sensuous lips making him even more handsome. He kept nervously pulling at his cuffs.

  "I don't know why I let you talk me into this. You watch me. I’ll get out there and faint dead in my tracks."

  "You mean you're going to leave me to walk down the aisle alone next week?"

  He gathered her close to him. "Don't get your hopes up, lady. You're stuck with this Mystery Man for the rest of your life."

  She smiled, lightly kissing the lips that she loved. "There you go, threatening me again."

  Just then there was a knock at the door. Kirk reluctantly pulled away from Chyna and crossed the room to open it up. Elaine and Dr. Wilder stood there grinning from ear to ear.

  Chyna knew something was up when she saw Elaine’s face. “You two look like the cat that ate the canary. Come on in, and tell us what you’re grinning about.” She quickly cut her eyes over at the doctor, then back to Elaine, and added, “Or should I ask?”

  Elaine’s eyes furtively met with the doctor’s and then she quickly thrust her left hand out.

  Chyna’s eyes widened when she got a look at the large stone on her finger. “Oh, my God, I can’t believe it!”

  “We’re getting married,” she said, excited.

  “What’s happening? First Joni, now you—”

  “Joni, who’s Joni?”

  “Oh…a friend of mine. She’s marrying the mechanic that works on her car. They’re both fascinated with old cars. After the premiere tonight, she and her new husband are off on a wild honeymoon.”

  “Wild?” Elaine laughed.

  Chyna snickered. “Believe me, if you knew Joni, you’d know that ‘wild’ is just the right word for it. From what I hear those two were made for each other.”

  While the girls chattered about Elaine’s upcoming marriage, the doctor turned and looked at Kirk. His eyes squinted, as he turned Kirk’s chin from side to side.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Kirk asked, pushing the doctor’s hand away.

  “Just looking at my handiwork. Do you know you’re the best advertisement I’ve had for my work? Now that people know I was the one that reconstructed the face of the Mystery Man, my office has been running over with patients.” He nodded toward Elaine. “I figured with my business booming, the next step was to make Elaine the happiest girl in the world.”

  “Or an honest one, right?” Kirk said, giving the doctor an angled look.

  The doctor’s face flushed. “Well…I…we…how the hell did you know? Do I have a sign on my forehead?”

  Kirk snickered. “I’d be blind not to know. The two of you stand so close you look like you’re melting into each other.” Kirk looked at Elaine’s happy face, and felt something deep inside him turn over. He shuddered to think where that smile would be if he was still stumbling around in that basement. Fighting back the tears, he smiled at the doctor and extended his hand. “Congratulations.”

  Suddenly another knock sounded, and Kirk went to the door and opened it. The chauffeur stood there straight and tall.

  "The car's here, sir."

  "We'll be right down."

  Kirk turned to Chyna and smiled nervously. "Well…it's showtime."

  The doctor reached for Elaine and led her toward the door. “We’ll get out of here. See you at the theater.”

  Kirk picked up Chyna's sequined shawl, placed it over her shoulders and escorted her out the door and to the elevator. They rode down gazing at each other, but when the elevator doors opened, the gaze ended with shouts and the crush of a mob. Crowds of people pulled on them, asked for autographs, and cameras flashed in their faces. They had to literally pull themselves away. When they finally got settled in the limousine, Kirk looked down and saw his jacket ripped, and buttons missing. "My God, it's a good thing we got here when we did, I would have been naked."

  "Welcome to the pushing, pulling, shoving, and tearing world of Chyna Marsh, sweetheart." She nestled in his arms. "Don't worry, they'll give you another jacket at the theater."

  When they got well on their way, Chyna noticed a worried look on Kirk’s face and tried to make conversation, but he seemed preoccupied and didn't say much. She knew he was nervous.

  Kirk's eyes widened when they pulled up to the theater. He stretched his neck and looked up at the giant marquee announcing Face in the Shadows, and was amazed when he saw two pictures up above the marquee. One showed a creature in a dark corner looking as if he were going to grab the unsuspecting heroine while she had her back to him. The frightened heroine was cutting her eyes around in the direction of his shadowy face while trying to get away. The other one showed the heroine in the arms of the creature, looking up at him with fearful eyes as his scarred face leaned over her. It was so amazing, Kirk couldn't believe it. There were people all over the streets, search lights moved erratically, casting penetrating lights into the sky and across the twinkling city. A line of cars were pulling up at the curb, but the driver of the limousine didn't get in the line, instead he pulled off into a side alley, and up in front of a stage entrance.

  Kirk leaned down and looked around. "What are we doing here? Aren't we supposed to be in front with the other cars?"

  The chauffeur turned around. "No sir, the studio is trying to maintain the surprise element of your appearance. They don't want anyone to see you until you come out on stage."

  "Oh, I see."

  The chauffeur got out and opened Kirk's door. Kirk got out, then reached in to take Chyna's arm, but she pulled back. "I’m sorry, Kirk but we have to leave each other here. The chauffeur is going to drive me around to the front." She saw his surprise. "I'm sorry, darling, but they're expecting me for an interview."

  "I wish you'd told me."

  "I thought you knew. They were supposed to tell you."

  "Well, they didn't," Kirk said impatiently.

  Just then the stage door opened and Serena Rush came out and ran down the steps to where Kirk was. "There you are."

  Kirk looked down at her, puzzled.

  Serena looked up at him admiringly. "My, you’re a big one, aren't you?" She pulled on his arm, and as he allowed himself to be hurried along, he looked back at Chyna, watching her as she lifted her hands and shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry,” he heard her call out. Then with a resigned look, he allowed himself to be pulled up the stairs in the firm grasp of the happy publisher.

  While Serena got Kirk settled in their private box, Chyna's limo pulled up in front of the theater. As she stepped out, the announcer called out her name, and the crowd went wild. Cameras flashed, and fans leaned over the roped off boundaries trying to touch her. She walked along the red carpet up to the man holding the microphone. Standing there to receive her was Tim Chase, the actor playing Kirk in the movie. It had been arranged for them to be interviewed, and walk in together. They smiled and said hello, then the announcer began asking her questions.

  “Ms. Marsh, as you can see, the fans are going absolutely wild. It must feel good to have your book made into a major motion picture that has received this much acclaim.”

  "Yes, it does," Chyna said with her usual sexy charm. "Sometimes I think I'm dreaming. I used to have a little alarm clock that woke me up every time I began having a good dream." She shrugged. "I keep expecting it to go off."

  "Ms. Marsh, speaking of dreams, when you moved down to the little town of Mystic Islands, New Jersey, did you ever in your wildest imagination think you would find the story that would literally make your career?"

  "I certainly didn't. I was just looking for a remote little place to do my work. My writer's curiosity has always put me in situations that I wouldn't have been in ordinarily, and that's what happened in this case."

  The announcer smiled at her answer, then put the microphone up to Tim's mouth. "Tim, when you found out you had been picked for the part of Kirk Grayson, the world famous Mystery Man, what went through your mind?"

  "Well, Dan, as you know, a lot of actors went after this part. But when my agent called me wi
th the word that I was the lucky one, I went wild, man. When I finally calmed down, I thought back about all the struggles actors have to go through to get where I am today. It's just hard to believe that I'm one of those that actually made it. Let me tell you, it's a fantastic high."

  "I hear there may be an Oscar out there for you."

  "Hey, I hope so. I'm ready for it."

  He turned back to Chyna. "Ms. Marsh, there's talk that you and your Mystery Man may get married. Is there any truth to that?"

  "Very definitely. Next week to be exact."

  "Where?"

  Chyna laughed. "Sorry, but I can't give out that information. No press allowed."

  A few of them shouted, "Boo!

  “Sorry, guys,” Chyna replied. “This is a private affair—” She winked suggestively. “—with the emphasis on affair.”

  When the interview ended, both Chyna and Tim Chase turned to walk in, but they lingered for a moment waving at the fans and allowing their pictures to be taken a few more times before going in. Once inside, Chyna separated herself from Tim and went backstage to be with Kirk. Both she and Kirk had insisted on a private booth for the showing, and when she walked in she saw Serena hanging all over Kirk. Kirk seemed to be struggling, but was too much of a gentleman to push her away. When Chyna cleared her throat to announce her presence, Serena looked around and begrudgingly pulled away from him. Kirk looked relieved.

  Chyna quickly sat down beside Kirk, and soon after a bottle of champagne was brought in by the management. The two lovers toasted the success of the film just as the stage curtain began lifting, revealing a giant white screen. Suddenly a strong male voice hidden within the wings began speaking into a microphone, echoing throughout the theater from one corner to the other.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pride that Mann’s Chinese Theater brings you the opening night of the film, Face in the Shadows. The movie event you are about to see has been long-awaited throughout the country and around the world. As the lights dim, and the curtains rise, and the film bursts into flaming color, the lives of Chyna Marsh and the Grayson family will at last be made public. The long-kept secret of the misty little bluff called Cat's Paw will finally be known. From the very first day Chyna Marsh arrived in the little town of Mystic Islands, New Jersey, to the day Mystery Man, Kirk Grayson rises up from his self-imposed prison, this film will tug at your heart. As you sit and watch the struggles of a young man trying to get his life back, yet finds himself being constantly lied to and manipulated by a jealous brother, your hearts will ache. Chyna Marsh fights against this the only way she knows how…as a woman. And what started out as nothing more than curiosity, turns into a blockbuster film, and true love. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Hollywood's version of the widely-acclaimed novel by Chyna Marsh…Face in the Shadows.”